Exile in Ninjaville
by Uncertain Return
Summary: A new generation of ninja has arrived with Gen Tsukuda, his teammates, and his dorky sensei. There's the traditional ninja journey toward becoming stronger. But also... Hot guys. Calculated battles. Stellar ninjutsu. Romantic comedy. Donuts? Growing up has never been so hard. (Original Characters storyline. M/M content in future.)
1. Bicycle Beatdown

**A/N: This story will be made up entirely with original characters, so Naruto & company won't show up in the storyline. I'm aiming for a mixture of action, coming-of-age story, comedy, and romance. I'm intending for this story to be fairly long and detailed, despite the short chapters, so strap in for the long haul, everyone.**

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Chapter 1: Bicycle Beatdown

Everything started with a day of sunshine, fresh air, and an unfortunate incident.

Newly-minted Genin in training, Gen Tsukuda, whisked right down the steep hill from where he and his parents lived, peddling his bike. _This is the first day I get to meet my teammates! Gen thought_. Despite being the only child of average, everyday civilians who ran Konoha's first ever bicycle shop, Gen had passed the exams to become a Genin along with the rest of his class. Of course, his parents were supportive but a little wary. Gen had always been a small, delicate child with a bit of an effeminate affect that drew bullies to him constantly. Privately, mom and pop weren't sure he was up for it. Being a shinobi was a hard and thankless life.

But Gen was happy. He was pretty sure his taijutsu couldn't beat an elderly lady with a severe limp, but at least his skill with ninjutsu was passable enough to, well, you know, _pass._ This meant so much to him that he had proved himself, finally. So, he giddily peddled along down the huge hill so he could eventually reach the Ninja Academy.

The path going down from his house to the bottom of the hill was populated with a couple neighbors, here and there, such as one woman hanging up her laundry on a clothesline and another out watering his plants. A man tipped his hat to Gen as he strolled past and said hello.

"Good morning!" Gen called out, turning his head around to smile while whizzing by.

He turned his head back in front to see a cat lying down, eyes closed and oblivious to the mortal world, in the middle of the street.

"Aaaaugh!" he screamed out, jabbing his bike handles to the left, diverting sharply to avoid running over the sleeping feline.

 _CRASH!_

...

Gen's soft brown eyes opened to the sight of a young man underneath him. At first glance, he noticed the guy's spiky red hair and large build. Then, Gen felt acutely aware of bodily pain and saw that his own leg had been shredded a little by the chainring. The sight of blood made his slightly nauseous. _Ugh._

The young man's eyes fluttered open. He looked at Gen and how Gen's behind was slammed right down on his chest, paining him, and took but a moment of slow realization before...

"TSUKUDAAAAAAAAAA!" the guy bellowed out, rage filling his body. "Get your ass off me!"

He shoved Gen off violently, standing up and huffing with indignation and embarrassment. With a closer look at his face now, Gen realized who this angry, young fellow was.

"Kohaku, it's you!" Gen blurted out, his voice coming out even girlier than usual. "I'm so sorry. You see, I was riding my bike, and I saw this cat, and I didn't want to hit it, but it wasn't going to move, or at least I don't think so—"

"Tsukuda, shut the fuck up!" the man known as Kohaku Hibiki snapped. He was actually standing with his hands on his hips, his face gone furiously red, like a schoolgirl who just realized a pervert was trying to peek up her skirt. "I don't know what you're playing at, man, but I don't swing that way, so I don't see why you had your ass all rubbin' up on me."

 _But I do swing that way, and it was an accident, Gen thought._ Gen Tsukuda had known he'd been gay since he was ten years old, but it's not like Kohaku was in desperate need of that information at that critical moment.

"Look, Kohaku, I was just—"

"Just stay away from me!" Kohaku said. "We may be classmates but that doesn't mean shit to me. Alrighty, then? Don't bother showing up to our new teammate assignment. If you do, I'll beat the _snot_ out of you. You hear, fag? Get fucked, dude. Jesus."

And with that, Kohaku turned his back on Gen and started walking. As Gen watched him slowly disappear from his sight, he knew at that moment that everything he'd trained for was for naught. Waste of time. Over. Done with.

Great.

How could Gen face his old classmates at the ninja teammate assignment meeting now? He wasn't looking forward to any broken bones courtesy of Kohaku's homophobic rage. But he still yearned to be a ninja.

He had a huge choice to make. Now.

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 **A/N: Poor Gen! Kohaku is quite mean.**


	2. Contact with Classmates

**A/N: In the last chapter, I mentioned that Gen's parents own a bicycle shop. I wasn't sure if bicycles actually exist in the Narutoverse, so I said it was "Konoha's first ever bike shop." But it's still up in the air whether it fits. Anyway, I figure it's my story, so there's a lot of leeway for what I can and can't do. Enjoy the chapter!**

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Chapter 2: Contact with Classmates

Gen paced around nervously on the grass. He was standing about 30 feet away from the Academy, hesitating to go inside. _What should I do? Gen thought. Fake an illness and say that I can't come in today?_ But no, that wouldn't work. What if the Academy thought he was getting cold feet over becoming a ninja? It wasn't unheard of. In basic shinobi school classes, it's all just theory and practice in a safe, sterile learning environment. Once students graduate from pre-Genin newbie level, there are occasional students who realize that they hadn't taken seriously their teachers' warnings of a dangerous, death-ridden shinobi lifestyle.

So, he couldn't afford to be mistaken for one of those people. You know, a "I changed my mind about my entire future" guy. _No take backsies_. God, if he wasn't tough enough to face Kohaku, how on earth could he face a fellow assassin? _Am I even cut out for this life?!_ Gen bit his lip.

 _I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this..._

He was weak. Pathetic. And he made it all this way, put so much time into Academy schooling. What a waste. His parents probably would be secretly relieved that he wouldn't be put in the heat of battle and therefore in harm's way. Were they surprised he actually graduated? No, he couldn't think these thoughts now.

Gen was having a hard time breathing. Staring right at the Academy looming over everything, standing on his grassy field.

 _No, no, no. I can't do this, I can't do this, I CAN'T DO THIS, I CAN'T—_

"Boo!"

A childish girl's voice popped in his ear. Gen jumped and turned around to face an old classmate of his, Junko Ono. She was a short, pigtailed girl the same age as him, wearing a pink tank top and beige shorts and looking typically adorable.

"Hey, Junko. What's going on?" Gen asked, brows furrowed.

"I'm here to find out who my new teammates are. Duh!" Junko said rather sassily. She put her hands on her hips. "Are you going in or not? I saw you standing there for, like, thirty minutes, _at_ _least!_ Are you scared? I can hold your hand if you can't handle it alone," she teased.

"I—I'm going in," Gen stammered. "I just... well, it's just... Never mind. Okay?" He couldn't even think of a half-decent excuse.

Junko raised her eyebrows. "Oookaaaaaaay? You're a weirdo." She brightened. "I hope they have snacks there to celebrate our graduation. Wouldn't that be cool?! Let's go!"

"But I—"

Junko grabbed his hand. "Let's go _nooooow_!" She grinned and pulled his arm, surprisingly stronger than she looked as a girlish waif. Gen struggled with trying to pull his arm back, wanting to free his arm from Little Girl Imprisonment from Hell, but Junko was notoriously stubborn.

"Come on, Junko, I just need my arm back," Gen groaned, wriggling his arm around, trying to be slippery after figuring he was too weak to overpower a 90-pound girl.

"No! We're going in NOW!" Junko insisted, tugging his arm.

She started to forcibly drag him toward the Academy, succeeding quite well. It was getting close to starting time. If they didn't hurry, they'd be late for the announcements. As Junko and the unwilling Gen reached the doorways, Gen latched onto the door handle and refused to let go.

"Leave me!" Gen pleaded. "Go on without me! I'll be right inside after you. I just need to take care of something, okay? I forgot to feed my fish. They're probably getting pretty hungry..."

Junko screamed, "YOU DON'T HAVE ANY FISH! I've been to your house. No fish!"

"Yes, I do!"

"No, you don't!"

"We just got some! PLEASE!"

Junko growled, "We're going in now, 'kay? MM-KAY? I'm getting really hungry!"

She ripped his grip off from the door handle and dragged him down the hall, her renewed strength all thanks to the wistful thought of curing her hunger pains. Once she got to the right classroom, she swiped the door open violently and stomped into the room.

"WE'RE HERE!" Junko yelled to everyone sitting in the room, as if anyone had been personally waiting for their blessed arrival or something. She dropped off Gen into one of the empty spots and then plopped herself down into her own seat.

 _Everyone's here, Gen thought as he scanned the room._ All of his old classmates, same as usual, as if they were all still in school, taking classes on shuriken throwing and shinobi history. Even his old teacher was here, Nagamine-sensei, who was standing in front of the class, staring at him intently.

"Well, I'm glad everyone could make it, even if you are just barely on time," Nagamine-sensei smiled one of her vague half-smiles and turned away from Gen's gaze. She addressed the class, "Welcome to your new teammate orientation. As I'm sure you've all heard before from your family and friends, congratulations again on graduating from our Ninja Academy. Not only will you find out which two of your classmates will be on your very own Genin squad, you'll also be meeting your sensei for the very first time. Does anyone have any questions?"

A guy raised his hand. "Yeah, I have a question. Are all the sensei as hot as you are, Miss Nagamine? Just asking."

"Quiet, Oki." Nagamine-sensei's voice turned sharper. "That's not appropriate for this class. And I'm not Miss Nagamine. You may not even call me _Ms._ Nagamine, which I prefer to Miss. You'll address me as Sensei like you're expected to."

 _Oh, that's right. Oki Matsushita._ Gen hadn't known him that well, but like everyone else in the room, he graduated this same year as Gen and was quite known for being a pervert, a pickpocket, and a practical joker. Triple-P Man, the scourge of girls everywhere but somewhat popular among the guys in the class.

Gen glanced around the room more. _Naoko and Naomi, the Twins. Ryou, the guy obsessed with samurai swords and his hair looking good. Akira, the serious young man who hasn't opened up much to anyone._ Let's see. Then there's himself, Oki, Junko, some others he wasn't very familiar with, and... Kohaku.

For the first time, Gen remembered Kohaku's promise to beat his ass profusely if he'd shown up. He'd been so distracted by Junko's silliness and brute strength, his lack of confidence in his ninja abilities, whether he was cut out for the thug life (wait, ninja life!), that he'd forgotten the main reason why he was supposed to stay away.

Kohaku.

Kohaku was glaring at him from across the room. He looked even angrier than before. Silently, he raised his fist, knuckles white from clenching so hard. He was saying something. Mouthing something.

 _You're dead, fag._

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 **A/N: Just so we're clear, I'm having Kohaku use "fag" and such because he's an asshole. I want the issue of homophobia to be explored in this story at least a little. Hopefully it's not too upsetting to read about!**


	3. Teams of Three

**A/N: Here's chapter 3! You get to meet more characters now!**

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Chapter 3: Teams of Three

"Okay, it's time to announce the teams of three!" Nagamine-sensei announced after going over basic information about teammates, sensei, and other previously-covered topics as a reminder.

Gen could see some of his classmates sit up a little straighter as their attention piqued. Your teammates would stick with you for quite a while, so who you were put on a team with was a crucial moment.

"Team 1…" Nagamine-sensei began listing students' names. There was a palpable sense of anticipation in the air. Junko was literally crossing her fingers like a little kid. Kohaku folded his arms and glowered.

Nagamine-sensei continued, "Team 2 will be… Seiji Saotome. Kohaku Hibiki. And Gen Tsukuda."

 _What?!_ Gen couldn't believe it. He got put on the same team as Kohaku. This was a nightmare. He definitely wasn't looking forward to his body being beaten into a fine pulpy texture, like freaking orange juice or something.

"Now wait just a second!" Kohaku yelled, interrupting Nagamine-sensei's listing of who was on Team 3. "I can't be on a team with _him_!" He jabbed his thumb in Gen's direction. "He can't do taijutsu for shit! He's a loser. A creep. How am I supposed to do well with him on my team?! I'm tellin' ya, I should be on a team with someone else. I'm fine with Seiji being on my team. In fact, I'm glad you guys had the sense to do that. But put me on a damn team without _Tsukuda_ on it!"

Junko gasped. Everyone else stared at Kohaku. _Well, this is uncomfortable, Gen thought. It's not like I want to be on a team with you, either._

Nagamine-sensei looked bored. "The teams have been finalized and are not up for discussion."

Kohaku clenched his fists. "Whaddaya mean?! It's not like you couldn't just switch Tsukuda for somebody else. Just get rid of him and stick him somewhere else. This isn't complicated, lady. Do your job and make more effective teams!"

Nagamine-sensei stared at him behind her cat-eye glasses. "Not. Up. For. Discussion."

Kohaku growled impotently. A girl turned around in her seat, her long braid swishing back. Naoko Iseri, one of the Twins.

"You know, this really isn't up to you," Naoko said. "This isn't a democracy. Your voice is irrelevant. If you really need me to explain this for you, basically, while the teachers do factor in which students work well together, the main point is to balance out each team so they have roughly the same level of competency. That's fair for everyone. Knowing how much of a meathead you are, you probably got high marks on your taijutsu and utterly hopeless marks on anything that requires brain power. Gen is probably the opposite. He's smart but is lacking in fighting ability." Naoko smirked. "You balance each other out, guys. You're destined to be on a team together since you're both on the extreme ends of a spectrum."

Kohaku glared at her. "Oh, so the Know-It-All Girl has to explain everything to me, eh? You want a fuckin' piece of me, girly? I'm not opposed to hitting a chick, you know. We're all shinobi here."

"That's ENOUGH!" Nagamine-sensei's piercing voice cut into the verbal fight. "Kohaku, you will sit down in your seat and not make another peep. Understand? Naoko, please don't goad him and make my job more difficult than it has to be."

Kohaku sat back down, looking angry. Naoko looked a little smug and sat down as well. Her twin, Naomi, smiled proudly at her sister.

"Anyway, like I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, Team 3 will consist of Junko Ono, Ryou Yasuda, and Naomi Iseri," Nagamine-sensei said.

"That's me!" Junko squealed. She turned to her new teammate, who was sitting beside her, Ryou. "This'll be fun, right?!"

Ryou scoffed. "Just don't get in my way."

Naomi, the other Twin, looked at her sister. "I guess we won't be on a team after all," she said, looking rather upset.

"It's okay, you'll do great," Naoko reassured her.

The teacher rattled off the names of Team 4 as Gen's mind reeled at the thought of being on a team with his tormenter. _At least the others don't take his crap, Gen thought._ It was so cool to see Naoko stand up to him, as well as Nagamine-sensei. They were so strong and always said what was on their minds.

"Team 5! Akira Funai, Naoko Iseri, and Oki Matsushita," Nagamine-sensei announced.

"I'm okay with that," Naoko told her sister. "Oki's kind of a dolt, but I can handle that. Maybe I can fix him."

"Man, nobody fun on my team," Oki complained to the guy sitting next to him. Naoko was known as a bit of a busybody and Akira Funai was mostly known for being quiet and withdrawn, so the class clown truly didn't have either one who would be down with his schemes.

After a while, the sensei finished announcing the teams and everyone was instructed to wait for their new sensei to arrive. Rather quickly, teams began bustling out of the large, wood-structured classroom after each Jounin sensei turned up.

"Team 2?" A man asked a girl who was standing near the window with two other students.

"No, that's them," the girl pointed at where Kohaku, Seiji, and Gen were clustered. The man thanked her and started walking toward them up the steps.

"Shouldn't he know who his own pupils will be?" Gen whispered to his new teammate, Seiji.

"Yeah, it's weird," Seiji muttered back. Seiji was a handsome guy with dirty blonde hair and gray eyes. Gen hadn't met him before. He assumed they had different classes and their schedules just hadn't aligned up.

The man came up and smiled brightly. "Well, hi there! I'm Katsu Mori. I'm your new teacher. Are you dudes looking forward to becoming ninja?"

"We're already ninja!" Kohaku barked. The man smiled again. He was a tall and skinny man, with messy brown hair and a cowlick in the back.

"Did he just call us dudes?" Seiji muttered to Gen, and Gen laughed a quick, fake laugh. The man, Katsu Mori, waved his hand in front of them to get their attention.

"Hey, hey, hey!" He said jovially, adopting a too-friendly tone. "What are you dudes whispering about? There aren't any secrets on my team, so please, feel free to share with everyone what you're saying."

Gen shared a look with Seiji. It was like they were already clicking as teammates, despite having not known each other.

"It's nothing," Gen said. "How about we get going?" The man perked up at the idea.

"That sounds like an awesome idea," Katsu Mori said. "Let's go!" He pumped his fist in the air, prompting some to look at him. _Way too excited. This is kinda embarrassing._

The four of them began heading out near the sliding door. Katsu Mori turned his head around while he was walking.

"Hey guys, what do you say if we got ice cream after we're finished with all this? I was thinking I could treat you dudes after we're done w— OOOPH!"

Gen, Seiji, and Kohaku's new sensei had walked right into a door. A door right in front of him, very clearly not opened yet. _He's such a dork, Gen thought. He makes me look good in comparison!_ Seiji seemed to be trying to be polite, looking unruffled by the goofy mistake, while Kohaku sniggered.

"My bad…" Katsu Mori said sheepishly, rubbing his head.

Gen's life was about to get more interesting. With his homophobic tormenter as his teammate, a cool new guy who seemed to connect with him as his other teammate, and a totally uncool guy as his sensei, Gen's life was heading for more excitement.


	4. Illuminating Introductions

**A/N: This chapter, you'll get a deeper understanding of the characters!**

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Chapter 4: Illuminating Introductions

Gen's new sensei, Katsu Mori, was determined to make everything enjoyable. He chatted away cheerfully while Seiji, Kohaku, and Gen weren't very receptive, saying little in return. Katsu didn't seem to notice as far as Gen could tell. They were strolling outside, around the large, multi-colored Academy building until Katsu tells them to make a stop there.

"Ah yes, let's sit here," he said and gestured to a bench near them, shaded by the trees. The three students sat down on the bench. Katsu stood in front of them and whipped out a pencil and notepad out of his pouch.

"What's that for?" Kohaku asked brusquely.

Katsu smiled. "For taking notes, of course! Now, why don't the three of you tell me about yourselves? The starter questions we've been given are your likes and dislikes, your hobbies, and your dreams for the future. Go!" He gestured his hand in Gen's direction.

"Me?" Gen asked, feeling very put-on-the-spot. "Oh, well, let's see… I'm Gen Tsukuda. I like to go out riding on my bicycle, since you know, my parents own a shop. They're basically like metal devices that you can ride on."

Kohaku snorted. Gen wondered if Kohaku was remembering being crashed into today. While answering, he felt very aware of their attention and their possible reactions. After all, Katsu was scribbling madly on his notepad as Gen spoke.

"And, let's see…" Gen paused, avoiding Kohaku's staring. "One of my hobbies is playing, like, puzzle games. They sell these handmade wooden puzzle toys down at the marketplace. And… I also like fashion." Gen blushed. "I think it's fun to go shopping and buy cool clothes."

Gen dared to look back, and Kohaku's face was mocking with a stupid grin on his face. However, Katsu didn't seem to be fazed in the slightest at the thought of a boy taking pleasure in fashion and beauty.

"That's very neat!" Katsu encouraged as he finished writing his notes. "I think that's fantastic. You like fashion? I can see that." He gestured to Gen's clothes. "They look very hip. Coolio. Groovy? I don't know what the kids say these days."

"Please stop," Seiji sighed.

Gen wore rather flashy clothes for an everyday ninja look. Usually, it was advised to be wearing something that blended in more with the surroundings while on duty. That was why the Leaf Village's standard uniform, although not required, was a green flak jacket that was a similar enough green to blend in with the trees in the village's forests. In addition, the pants, the tool pouches, the sandals, and the forehead protector were either washed-out or dark colors that didn't stand out like a bright, neon target. Of course, these clothing suggestions were often only loosely followed or simply ignored. After all, one of the most recognized ninja in the Leaf Village wore a shocking orange jumpsuit.

"You do dress rather interestingly," Seiji said in a noticeably neutral way. Gen wasn't sure what to say.

Gen's slim, little body was outfitted in a short sleeve, collared shirt that was the color of bubblegum pink. His elbow protectors were mesh, his fingerless gloves a standard black. His lavender pair of shorts went down only to his mid thigh, like a girl's pair of shorts would. This was explained by the fact that they _were_ bought in the women's section, since Gen liked to do that occasionally. He also curiously wore his headband over his hair instead of on his forehead.

Gen tucked a strand of his chin-length, green hair behind his ear. "I guess I like to experiment."

"You dress like a girl," Kohaku told him.

That stung a little, but he was almost used to it. "I know."

"Well, maybe you should stop," Kohaku suggested.

"I don't think I need to," Gen said quietly, not sure why he had to be targeted all of the time. Seiji looked at them back and forth.

Katsu raised both of his hands in a "cease fire" motion. "Okay, okay. Let's stop this, all right? You dudes need to get along. I won't have any fighting on this team. We're all in this together. Now, Gen, was it? Why you keep telling us about yourself? You still need to tell me your dislikes and your dreams for the future."

Gen pondered. "My dislikes? I don't know. There aren't a whole lot of things that I dislike. I guess I dislike sports and going to parties where I have to talk to people I won't know the next day."

"Everyone hates that," Kohaku said. "The parties part. Not the sports."

"Not necessarily," Katsu reminded him. "Do you have any dreams for the future, Gen?"

"My dream?" Gen repeated. He had always dreamed of meeting a wonderful man and eventually living together with him in matrimony, or at least a _sense_ of matrimony that same-gender couples could share together, despite the Leaf Village not recognizing actual, legal marriages for them. He wanted to be in love so much, but it had never happened to him. Most of the boys in his classes acted immature, which wasn't a surprise since they were twelve years old, but still. Some of them were cute, but they were all probably straight. Or at least that was what Gen figured.

"Gen, it looks like you're spacing out. Come back to Earth!" Katsu joked. "Do you have any dreams that really inspire you to do better, give it your all, a sort of passion that makes you excited in the morning?"

 _Should I tell them that my greatest dream in life is to meet a really cute guy? Gen asked himself._ No, of course not. They wouldn't understand.

"No, I don't," Gen lied.

Katsu looked disappointed for the first time in his life. "Ah, all right. Next?" He lookd to Seiji.

Seiji simply said, "I'll pass, thank you."

"What?!" Katsu looked alarmed. "You don't want to tell us about who you are? It's part of the exercise assigned for us today."

"I know," Seiji answered, sounding unruffled by the distress that his refusal caused. "I just don't really like talking about myself. My name is Seiji Saotome. That's all you need to know for now." Seiji gave Katsu a short smile.

"Uh, very well," Katsu said, shuffling his body uncomfortably on the ground where he sat. He tore out the piece of paper where he'd written "Seiji:" and crumpled it into a ball, throwing it into the waste bin. "And last but not least, it's your turn," he said to Kohaku.

Kohaku sighed. "Right. Let's get this over with. I'm Kohaku Hibiki of the Hibiki Clan. I like to wrestle and do some barbequing with my old man when he isn't on my case. I fuckin' hate the math equations that you had to do at the Academy, like 'If you throw a shuriken from X feet away, with a trajectory of what's-it degree angle with a velocity of whatever, what do you get?' In a real fight, nobody has time to figure that out. I don't really have time to have a whole lotta hobbies. Mostly, I like to spar with people. My dream is to become stronger than my old man someday."

Katsu nodded without looking up from his notes. "Well, it sounds like you all are really unique, awesome individuals, as far as I can tell! So, now it's my turn to tell you something. Today we're going to have a tiny, little training exercise. This training exercise will determine whether you three are truly worthy of becoming ninja. How does that sound?"

As Gen felt his heart stop, Kohaku stood up abruptly. "Whaddaya mean, 'worthy of becoming ninja?' We're already ninja! We don't gotta prove that."

Katsu grimaced, trying to maintain a pleasant smile. It looked more like the smile someone would try to fake if suddenly Christmas was cancelled and they had to inform the kids. _This can't be. No way, Gen thought._

"I'm afraid that's not quite true. Out of the students who passed, only one third of them will get to become Genin," Katsu said sheepishly, putting away his notepad. "The village elders only want the best of the best. Not everyone has the gumption, apparently!"

"The _gumption?!_ " Kohaku repeated angrily. "I have more _gumption_ than anyone else in my class combined!"

Seiji interjected, "I'm not quite sure I understand. Only one third will pass? So that means we have a 66 percent chance of failing then?"

"Ha… haha… ha… ha." Katsu's fake smile looked plastered on now, frozen in time and space. Gen wondered if it would stay like that. "Maybe I should have eased you dudes into this and let you down gently. I swear, it wasn't my idea! I'm just following orders!"

Kohaku glared at him, stepping toward the Jounin and grabbing him by the cuff of his shirt collar above his flak jacket. "You have some explaining to do, man. It better be good."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Katsu said nervously while his hot-tempered pupil raised his fist to him. "But you can prove it to me that you're worth teaching. Meet me on the training grounds in a half hour. Don't be late!"

And with that, Katsu poofed into a puff of white smoke and disappeared from Kohaku's grip.


	5. Battle of the Bells

**A/N: Still no reviews. I cleaned up some previous chapters JUST a little, but not much. I felt like the opening sentence in my very first chapter sounded trite so I adjusted it to sound a little better.**

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Chapter 5: Battle of the Bells

"We're here," Seiji announced.

The three students had just made it to the wide, grassy plains of the ninja training grounds. In front of them sat the bespectacled Jounin assigned to test their skill levels. Katsu Mori, the man who had actually gotten intimidated by a fussy potential Genin with an irascible mood by the name of Kohaku.

"Oh, hi there." Katsu waved at them and got up from the tree stump he'd been sitting on. "Good to see you all. Are you three ready to test your skills against me?"

 _Do we have to? Gen thought._ Nevertheless, the three of them nodded their heads.

"Excellent. Your assignment is simple. All you have to do is take these bells from me! How easy is that?"

Katsu pulled out ordinary, silver bells from his jacket pocket, dangling the bells in front of them, and Gen immediately noticed something about them. Kohaku narrowed his eyes.

"So what's the catch?" he asked suspiciously.

Gen answered Kohaku's question instead of the teacher. "There are only two bells."

Katsu smiled. "Very observant, Mr. Tsukuda. Yes, there are only two bells, which means, sadly, at least one of you has to go back to the Academy instead of becoming a Genin. It's nothing personal, I swear! But I have to weed out the, uh, you know, undesirables."

 _Undesirables._ Gen imagined himself at that very moment as being classified as an "undesirable" on his shinobi record and began to feel a little panicky once more. _Out of the three of us, I have to be the weakest. I know Kohaku is really strong. I'm not sure about Seiji, since I never had classes with him, but he looks as cool as a cucumber standing there. God…_

Seiji nodded, pulling out a kunai knife and adopting a fighting stance. "Well, I'm ready." He twirled the kunai around his pinky finger lazily, calm and collected.

Kohaku followed suit with a stance of his own. "Same here." With his surprisingly strong-looking body for a twelve-year-old, the redhead looked like a total brawler.

They both looked at Gen, expecting him to react the same way. Gen stood awkwardly, not sure what to do with his hands at first before remembering his training, and raised his fists weakly.

"Me too," Gen squeaked out.

"Good, everyone," Katsu said. "Ready… set… go!"

Straight after "go" was uttered from the sensei's lips, Kohaku charged toward his new opponent and swung his fist. Katsu easily dodged, looking light on his feet and surprisingly graceful for such a lanky guy who Gen would have figured was as clumsy on the battlefield as he was at running into unopened doors. Seiji ran forward and swiped his kunai, aiming at Katsu's chest, but he missed by a couple inches as Katsu dodged again.

"You're going to have to do better than that!" Katsu grinned as Seiji and Kohaku got back into position. Gen stood there and watched his fellow classmates.

Kohaku tried to grab Katsu, but Katsu deflected by stepping back and elbowing his student's arm when it approached. Then, he seemed to disappear for a second when Seiji tried a wide kick, appearing back behind Seiji. Seiji turned around.

"You're fast," Seiji observed.

Katsu replied, "All the Jounin have to be quick on their feet. Quick on your feet physically and quick on your feet mentally." After a few more individual attempts on Seiji and Kohaku's part, Katsu dodging them all, Katsu let them know, "I'm getting a little tired of this scenery. Find me if you can!"

He winked and teleported out of there with his puff of white smoke.

Kohaku growled slightly. "Great! Now we have to search for him through the entire damn forest. This is your fault, Tsukuda. Why didn't you attack him? He probably wouldn't have been able to handle _three_ different people, even if we are just puny Academy students against a Jounin."

"I don't think we're supposed to work together," Gen said quietly. "There's only two bells, remember? One of us won't get one." _Probably me._

Kohaku raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah? I'm not askin' for your help, smartass. I just thought you'd at least be a distraction while _I_ got him."

Gen looked at Seiji. "What do you think? I'm not sure what we're supposed to do. It's such an uneven playing field. He's at a much higher level than us."

Seiji had a pensive look on his handsome face. "I don't know. But you know… Kohaku's right. Try taking a stab at it. I bet you'd do better than you think you would."

Gen's heart fluttered at the compliment. "Really, you think so?"

Kohaku rolled his eyes. "Get a room somewhere, loverboys. While you two act like gaylords in love, I'm going to get me one of those shiny, little bells. See ya."

He started to walk away from them and toward the forest. Seiji stopped him.

"Wait. Clearly, fighting a Jounin on our own is out of our leagues, skill wise. I realize there are only two bells, but what if our best course of action is teaming up anyhow?" Seiji pointed out. "Then, at least some of us will get bells."

It was Kohaku's turn to look pensive. "What, you wanna team up? But if there's only two bells, then…" Suddenly, a wicked grin spread across his face. "Oh, I see what you're doing. You sly dog."

"What?" Gen asked, looking between them. He couldn't get a read on Seiji's face.

Kohaku's smile was a malicious one, and one that Gen didn't like to see. "You think we should ditch the kid and just do it ourselves, the two of us. I like the way you think, man."

"Well, I…" Seiji started, but Kohaku put his arm around Seiji's shoulder and started pulling him back toward the lush, green forest.

"That way, with just the two of us, we don't have any problems. Two of us, two bells. No Tsukuda. Haha!"

Kohaku didn't bother to look back at Gen's pale, stricken expression as the two ninja walked away, but Seiji did. Gen couldn't tell what Seiji was thinking. It was just an intense look in Seiji's deep, gray eyes that somehow seemed unfathomable. Then, he turned away.

Alone, Gen stood on the grass, feelings of uselessness and a sort of loss mixing together and he wondered if the connection that he felt with Seiji was just some weird fantasy he had that didn't actually make sense, something he'd made up in his own head.

Once again, Gen had been left out.

And by "once again," Gen meant that he'd always been left out in childhood. The worst at playground sports, always picked last for kickball, not invited to kids' birthday parties, everything. Why was it always like this? And why did he care about if Seiji turned his back on him, a guy he'd only met a couple of hours ago?

* * *

 **A/N: Will anyone deal with Kohaku's attitude? Find out soon!**


	6. A Punch and a Pep-Talk

**A/N:** **Remember Kohaku's threat in Chapter 1? He hasn't forgotten.**

* * *

Chapter 6: A Punch and a Pep-Talk

Gen had had _enough._ First, he messed up by crashing into Kohaku with his bike, then he'd been threatened with violence for that accident (and also for being a Scary Gay Person), then he'd been dragged into coming to this stupid day at the Academy by Junko the Tiny Terror, then he'd been put on a freaking team with Kohaku, then he'd been made fun of for liking fashion by Kohaku, then he'd found out that he wasn't appointed Genin after all until he passed a stupid test, and now? Now he just found out that Seiji and Kohaku teamed up together to pass the test, leaving him all alone to cry in his puddle of tears when he inevitably failed this impossible test to best a Jounin in battle.

He was done and so over it.

 _Fine, Gen thought. Let them fail me because I'm just not cut out for this. What was I thinking, becoming a ninja? I should have stayed home where I belong. I'm such an idiot. How could I ever beat ANYBODY in battle, let alone a Jounin? I just can't._

Throughout the time span of nearly an hour, Gen sat down and thought about his misfortune. He picked at the grass out of boredom and tied the little blades of grass into knots for amusement. As Gen pitied himself, Kohaku appeared from out of the bushes.

"Well, if it isn't the fag himself," Kohaku said with a false tone of surprise. "Fancy seeing you here. What are you doing, just standing out in the open?"

"Kohaku!" Gen felt alarmed. "I'm just—I… I'm not doing anything right now. Aren't you with Seiji?"

Kohaku waved his hand dismissively. "I'll go back in a sec. Ya know, we haven't been alone together aaaaall day. Did'ja know that?" He batted his eyes mock-alluringly.

"That's okay." Gen swallowed and, while backing away, said weakly, "I know you've been seeing those other girls and that's why I'm putting my foot down.'" _Hopefully a joke will defuse the situation._

"Oh, baby, I'm sorry," Kohaku sarcastically pouted as he kept stepping forward. "I want to repay you for what you did to me this morning!"

He cornered in on Gen, and Gen wanted to run for his life. But he knew if he did that Kohaku would never let him live that down. A coward, forever and ever. Kohaku raised his big hand, clenched tight, and smashed it forcefully into Gen's face.

"Owww!" Gen cried, his lip trembling while he brought his fingers to his eye where Kohaku had punched hard.

Kohaku's smirk formed at the corner of his lips. "And that's for having your ass all over me after you crashed into me with your stupid doohickey. I bet ya think I didn't notice that, huh—the way you _relished_ having your body on me. I get that it was an," Kohaku did air quotes with his fingers, "' _accident_ ' but you didn't fuckin' get off me long after you came to your senses. You coulda killed somebody with that metal piece of garbage! Jesus, dude. I told you to get fucked, and you better remember that."

Gen felt tears coming up. "It _was_ an accident! I don't like you that way at all." He sniffed as he wiped away the tears trickling down, but his swollen eye was aching with the slightest bit of touch. "You're not my type, okay? I just should have been more careful. I'm SORRY."

Kohaku laughed derisively. "Sure, dude. I've seen you checking me out before in class, at lunch, whatever. Think I'm hot? Just don't fucking touch me."

He strutted back to where he was and disappeared into the thicket, and Gen felt ashamed of the times he'd been attracted Kohaku's brawny body and alpha male swagger. His desires were shameful, and so was he. _Deep down, maybe he's right, Gen said to himself._

* * *

Gen had spent another hour or two lost in his ever growing sense of self-loathing. Unaware of his surroundings, he walked with his head held low and looking at the ground, lost in his own thoughts. He went into the forest to get out of the bright sunlight, feeling the nice coolness of the shade beneath the branches' leaves.

"Watch out!" a voice called out.

Gen felt himself pushed out of the way, and with his right eye (the one that hadn't been punched), he saw a blur of a black object speed past his face, only barely missing him.

"Are you okay?" Gen refocused his vision to see Seiji holding him by the shoulders, looking at Gen concernedly. "That was a close call. You almost got a knife to the face. What happened to your eye?"

Gen shrugged Seiji's hands off. "What do you care?" Gen mumbled, hinting at some resentment. "Shouldn't you be with Kohaku?"

"Kohaku's busy fighting now. He can just keep fighting, on and on. He has a lot more endurance than I do," Seiji said. "Listen, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. I wanted all three of us to fight together, really."

"Then why didn't you speak up?" Gen asked, still hinting at being testy in the tone of his voice.

Seiji sighed in a rare show of emotion. "I wanted to, but I couldn't. Listen, Kohaku and I… We were childhood friends back in the day. I don't think of him as a friend _anymore_. He was always bossy, even when we were kids. He used to kick sand in the other kids' faces on the playground. You know, bully them. And he would order me to join in," he reflected. "And, you know, I've never been the kind of guy to tell a person no."

"I see," Gen said quietly.

"I _wanted_ for you and me to join up," Seiji professed. "And _fight_ together… with Kohaku. I think you need—and you're going to get mad at me for saying this—I think you need a huge kick in the pants right about now. Have you just been sulking the past hour while Kohaku and I were actually trying? I told you before—I think if you try, you'll do a lot better than you think you will. You seem like a smart guy. You just have to _try_ , and try hard." Seiji clapped Gen on the shoulder. "I believe in you, okay?"

Seiji started walking back toward the area where the sensei and Kohaku were fighting. Gen's heart was racing. Despite being disappointed in Seiji's spinelessness, his speech was exactly the pep talk he needed after his awful day. _Thank you._

Seiji called back over his shoulder, "Come join us if you want to. We don't have a lot of time left."

Gen ran to catch up with him, walking along Seiji's side through the pathway between the lines of oak trees. He finally felt included. Then, he managed to spot Kohaku trying to put Katsu in a headlock but seeing Katsu worm his way out of it.

"There they are," Seiji announced, and then he recounted, "Kohaku's from the Hibiki Clan, and their taijutsu emphasizes wrestling a lot. I heard their clan leader, Kohaku's dad, is famous for bending peoples' limbs into unnatural shapes and causing excruciating pain. They look like pretzels after he's done with them. Their ultimate techniques are akin to slow torture from what I've heard described about it."

Gen nodded as he listened. "That definitely fits Kohaku's personality then." _Brute strength and sadism, so typical._

Seiji didn't respond. Instead, he ran into battle, ignoring Kohaku's demanding "where have _you_ been?!" and began performing hand signs. _Wait, is that… No way._ Gen knew what the hand signs were associated with already. Water element techniques. He knew his jutsu like the back of his hand. Just theoretically instead of in practice!

"Water Sphere Jutsu," Seiji shouted, holding out both of his palms ahead.

Large amounts of beads of water began to materialize, swirling around to form a sphere of liquid. Seiji shot out the sphere from his hands, the water ball aiming at Katsu's oddly egg-shaped head.

Unfortunately, Katsu ducked and the water sphere missed.

"Nice try," Gen said genuinely to Seiji.

"A Genin-level ninja who can already use elemental jutsu. Impressive," Katsu said. As Gen knew already, it normally took too much chakra for Genin-level ninja to handle it.

Kohaku rushed to attack again, throwing a series of punches with each of them missing as Katsu stepped to dodge side-to-side. Seiji launched more water spheres as Katsu was occupied, but it proved to be to no avail once again. Gen mostly stayed back, despite having been warmed by Seiji's encouragement, because it was hard to see with just one eye fully opened.

Katsu held up his hand after he'd flipped through the air to dodge a combination of a water sphere and Kohaku's punch.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaand… TIME!"

* * *

 **A/N: Gay-bashing! Gen's secret feelings about Kohaku revealed! Yes, I created my own ninja clans and jutsus for this fan fiction. I know Gen's been pretty weak so far. As you can see, his biggest weakness is his lack of confidence.**


	7. Finale of Failure?

**A/N: Beneath Katsu's carefree exterior, he has a different side...**

* * *

Chapter 7: Finale of Failure?

Kohaku and Seiji stopped. It was over, and none of them had managed to even get close to touching the silver bells hanging from Katsu's waist pants.

The teacher pushed up his glasses and sat down. "Now, let's review everyone's performance, shall we? All of you sit down now."

The tone in his voice was peculiar. It wasn't the warm, friendly vibe that he normally had. It was… cold. It didn't suit Katsu and all, and Gen immediately knew something was wrong. The three students sat down in a circle with Katsu, all of them apprehensive.

Katsu began sharply, "Where do I start? Ah yes, the fact that Seiji and Kohaku decided to buddy up and leave poor Gen all alone to fend for himself. What kind of teammates are you guys? I thought you all were cool dudes but perhaps I was badly mistaken."

Even Kohaku looked chastised. "Hey man," he said, actually raising his hand like a good student in a classroom, "I don't know if that's real fair. There were only two bells, right? Me and the Seij-meister, we just thought we'd take care of ourselves, ya know? Watch our _own_ backs."

Seiji said quickly, "No, not me. That wasn't my idea. That was entirely Kohaku's. I wanted all three of us to be a team."

Katsu raised his eyebrows. "And yet I didn't exactly see you protest that. You didn't mention it to Kohaku. So, you're just as much at fault as he is here."

Seiji said nothing to defend himself. Katsu continued his list of criticisms, sounding nothing like himself. He wasn't goofy now. He wasn't lame now. He actually sounded like a sensei. It was such a strange turn of events.

"Gen, you also failed to meet my expectations. Why didn't you do, well, ANYTHING?" Katsu looked flabbergasted. "You can't pass just by observing, pal. My class is participation _required._ By the way, what happened to you? Who gave you that black eye?"

Gen instinctively touched his black eye and then winced. _What do I say? Say Kohaku did it? No, I can't! Kohaku would kill me for that, and it wouldn't help at all. I kind of deserved it. And besides, as much as I don't like him, I don't want Kohaku to fail. Or Seiji. It's my fault that this happened and both of them are way stronger than me and deserve to be ninjas, at least on strength's merit alone._

As Gen's three fellow squad members waited for his answer, Katsu looking more and more suspicious, Gen knew he couldn't rat out Kohaku, even if he was a massive jerkface. What excuse could he give, though? What excuse?! He was running out of time. It was already looking suspect!

"I punched myself," Gen lied.

 _Where in the hell did that come from?! Gen demanded from himself wildly._ That was the stupidest answer he'd ever given. Somehow, none of his teammates were laughing madly at his words. Kohaku's mouth was slightly agape. Maybe he was surprised that after all this, Gen had chosen to keep a secret. Seiji looked just as suspicious as Katsu did now.

Katsu repeated, "You punched… yourself?"

"Yes," Gen said. _No turning back now._

"And I'm supposed to believe that answer?"

"Umm… yes?"

A pregnant pause hung in the air, and Gen's face burned with embarrassment. Nobody knew what the teacher would do since Gen wasn't about to fess up to what really happened to his face.

Finally, to Gen's amazement, Kohaku stood up. "No, sir. It was me. I punched him."

Katsu nodded, because that was a much more probable answer. "I see. That's a serious offense. And why did you punch your fellow teammate?"

Kohaku sighed and listed off the reasons for why he did what he did. He spoke of his discomfort around Gen, as well as the bicycle incident earlier that day. He seemed resigned to the fact that this had to be brought up eventually. As he spoke, Seiji was staring at Gen with those intense, gray eyes of his and Katsu's frown only deepened.

"So, I see," Katsu said flatly after finishing hearing Kohaku's tale. "It sounds like we've got a nasty, little homophobe in our company then."

"Homophobe?" Kohaku said incredulously. "I'm not afraid of any gay dudes. I'm disgusted by them."

Katsu rolled his eyes. "Homophobe, the word, encompasses both fear _and_ disgust. Anyways, none of this is really helping your case. I'm inclined to fail all of you and send you three back to the Academy. It sounds like you all have things to work on."

Gen stood up. "No, please, Sensei. Don't send them back to the Academy. Send me back to the Academy," he pleaded. "I don't belong here as a ninja. I never was one, really. If I hadn't creeped out Kohaku, not just from this morning, but throughout the year, he never would have punched me. It's my fault. And Seiji's a good guy. They're both talented and I think you should consider that."

Katsu looked surprised. "That's very gracious of you, Gen, to forgive these two. But even if I failed you, these other two aren't fit to be shinobi either."

Seiji stood up suddenly as well. "No, I'm the one you should send back. I didn't stick up for Gen, I admit it, and I was an enabler for Kohaku. Gen should get to be a ninja. He's been the only good person here."

Katsu laughed mirthlessly. "He has been. Good on you to notice."

Kohaku still stood there, the only person to not vouch for the other two Genin candidates. After some pained deliberation, clearly forcing himself at least a little, he closed his eyes and said what Gen never expected to come from his lips.

"I can't believe I'm saying this," Kohaku began, "but I've been… a dick. A real dick. I'm not a fan of these gay dudes, and I don't understand, right? Like, why can't you just like women like you're supposed to? It… it can't be natural. But Tsukuda, here, he's never shown a mean bone in his body. He's, like, _unnaturally_ nice. He creeps me out a bit, but maybe that's my problem. I don't even know anymore."

Katsu peered at him through his glasses. "Huh. So the Beast finally learns some manners and actual humanity, huh?"

Kohaku grimaced. "Yeah. Yeah, I deserve that, I guess. Maybe ya shouldn't pass me and advance these other two." He gestured to Seiji and Gen. "They're not as strong as me, but ya know, if anyone needs a sensei as critical as you to guide them, it's these two. Take them."

His words were strangely… _nice._ Well, nice for Kohaku at least. Gen had hardly ever heard Kohaku say something positive about another person, and even hearing those minor positive points from him about Gen being "unnaturally nice" was a real mystery.

Gen, Seiji, and Kohaku waited with bated breath as Katsu deliberated on his final judgment. Wind blew through the tree leaves as they stood there in silence. Finally, Katsu clapped his hands.

"Fine then! I knew I couldn't stay mad at you dudes," Katsu said and broke out in a grin. "Fantastic, you three. Fantastic! You've really shown that you're aware of your own flaws and are working to improve them. And that's what I'm looking for in a team. Some sensei test for leadership, some test for teamwork, some test for sound judgment or patience or kindness. This bell test,"—he held up the two silver bells—"was never about the bells. It's about your inner qualities. And I happen to test for _self-knowledge._ Self-knowledge of your own weaknesses and the conviction to make them into strengths. YOU ALL PASS!"

He ran at the three of them gleefully and pulled them into a forced group hug. Seiji looked uncomfortable while Kohaku was, of course, outraged at this display of overt physical affection.

"You're squishing me!" Gen squealed as Katsu's arms seemed to latch around all three of them as if he had the power of an iron grip and octopus-like arms.

Gen was relieved when suddenly Katsu pulled back and nobody had to be in that forced hug nightmare scenario anymore.

"Wait a minute," Gen's teacher, who Gen decided would be known as Katsu-sensei, exclaimed. "I think I have an excellent idea!"

"And what's that?" Kohaku said skeptically.

Katsu-sensei declared, "I changed my mind. Kohaku, you failed this test unless you make it up to Gen. While you acknowledged Gen's kindness, you never seemed to admit to your own bigotry."

As Kohaku sputtered with disbelief at the word "bigotry" and began to bicker with his sensei, Seiji elbowed Gen to get his attention and gave Gen a secret smile, just between the two of them. Gen's heart fluttered once more, happy to be on this team for the first time since he'd gotten here.

"You _have_ to kiss Gen's boo-boo all better if you want to be a ninjaaaaaaa!" Katsu-sensei said in a singsong voice to Kohaku's disbelieving amazement.

"Stop acting like a kid!" Kohaku said back.

"I'm _failing_ you if you don't kiss it all better!"

After at least a solid, ten minute, back-and-forth argument between the two, Katsu being unrelenting about his proposal, Kohaku sighed in disgusted defeat and complied with his sensei's demands. He pulled Gen roughly in his arms and kissed the exact, sore, sensitive spot where Kohaku had laid his fist into him, and astonishingly, it didn't hurt. Kohaku's lips were feather soft and gentle against Gen's closed eye.

Kohaku then pushed him away. "There, you happy?" he asked Katsu-sensei, glowering.

"I am," Gen replied instead of his sensei.

Everything was all right now.

* * *

 **A/N: Now they can finally go on missions and stuff!**


End file.
